The Natural Delights of Kangaroo Island, South Australia

After crossing into the state of South Australia and travelling up The Coorong, we headed for our next destination, the natural paradise known as Kangaroo Island. Along the way, we traveled through the Fleurieu Peninsula, south of Adelaide, an area known for its many farms and wineries. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to stop for any tastings, but there would be plenty of wine to sample later in the Barossa Valley.

We stocked up on gas and groceries, since everything is more expensive on Kangaroo Island. Then, we made our way to Cape Jervis for the 45-minute ferry ride to the island. Getting our campervan onto the ferry was a bit of a chore, as Heather was required to back it in and squeeze next to a bunch of cars and trucks. Unfortunately, I couldn’t assist her as they had a strict rule prohibiting passengers while loading vehicles. Luckily, she got our camper on there like a pro!

Once on KI, we made our way to nearby Kingscote Holiday Park, which helped us arrange our entire two night stay. They advised us on the best attractions to check out and gave us a good plan of attack. With a big day ahead, we decided to make it an early one and get a good night’s sleep.

Here, a number of boardwalks have been set up to observe the Australian Sea Lions that occupy the beach. In addition, we were given a guided tour on the beach itself, which explained a lot of the behavior of these cute marine mammals.

Back in the camper again we set off down a small, quiet road that crosses the island, heading for the Flinders Chase National Park at the western end. This rough and remote part of the island features stunning natural beauty, along with a big cast of native wildlife.

Next up was the Remarkable Rocks. This rock formation truly is remarkable – a large smooth dome sitting next to the ocean that is topped with rocks that have been eroded by wind and water. Many of the rocks have been sculpted into truly bizarre shapes.

Wind and water erosion sculpted the Remarkable Rocks.

Wind and water erosion sculpted the Remarkable Rocks.18-Jan-2012 17:37

We hightailed it back to Kingscote and our holiday park before sunset. Our ferry the next day didn’t leave until 1:30PM, so we would still have time in the morning to check out a few more sights.

The next day, we drove out to Emu Bay for some beach time. Along the way we passed some large salt flats, and decided to pull over and take a few pictures. Unfortunately, the salt top layer was fairly thin, and Heather ended up falling through to a layer of thick mud underneath!

Heather contemplating her next step on the (muddy) salt flat.

Heather contemplating her next step on the (muddy) salt flat.19-Jan-2012 12:48

Finally, we visited a eucalyptus oil and tea tree distillery. Kangaroo Island is a famous exporter of these products, and we were given an overview of the history and production methods for these natural cure-alls.

With the clock ticking down on our time on Kangaroo Island, we made our way back to Penneshaw and the ferry terminal, where Heather once again had to expertly load our camper onto the waiting ferry. We set sail for the mainland and our next destination, the famous Barossa Valley wine region!